


You are adorable, and I hate you

by booksandanime



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: (Mabel isn't helping), And codes, And she'll make sure that they get together, Bill can talk about cosmology, Bill finds him hilarious, Bill is a triangle, But Mabel does, But he can't talk about his feelings, Chaos Ensues, Dipper doesn't understand what's going on with Bill, Dipper has a triangle phase, Dipper hates being called adorable, M/M, Mabel is surprisingly encouraging, Mysteries of the universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-04-01 12:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4019149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksandanime/pseuds/booksandanime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was only one reason why Bill Cipher kept thinking that Dipper was adorable. Because he knew it would annoy him. That's all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Adorably ignorant

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, I was watching Gravity Falls again, and I remembered that Dipper doesn't like being called "adorable." By anyone. So, I thought, "Bill Cipher."  
> And I made this. =)  
> This is going to be a multi-chapter work, because this didn't work out for a one shot.  
> So, here's chapter 1!

There was only one reason why Bill Cipher kept thinking that Dipper was adorable. Because he knew it would annoy him. That's all.  
Anyway, he did say that he would watch him. And, wasn't that what he was doing?  
And how could he help it if he noticed some habits of Dipper that were quite... alright for a mortal like him. (It would also take too long for Bill to say what he hated about Dipper, so the better qualities of Pine Tree was easier to list for him.) 

1.  
One time, Dipper and Mabel had been cleaning out the Mystery Shack, when Mabel had stuck out her feather duster in front of Dipper's face. As a result, he sneezed.  
Now, if you haven't heard Dipper sneeze before, according to Mabel, he sneezes "like a kitten."  
Bill had no patience for animals, but something about Dipper's sneeze amused him. 

(And he spends the next few hours wondering how to make Dipper sneeze in the Mindscape.)

2.  
Another time, Bill had caught Dipper arguing with Mabel about his "girly bands." Dipper had defended himself of course, saying that they were "manly", and "inspiring." This had gone on for a while, until both of them separated with a huff.  
Dipper had gone to his room, and played his songs at full blast, probably to annoy Mabel. Unfortunately for Bill, it annoyed him too.  
He had to agree with Shooting Star, the songs were girly, or at best wimpy.  
Then, he discovered that Dipper also listened to the Top 40 Hits, and learned, by reading his mind, that he did this so that he could prove to his sister that he listened to updated or modern songs too.

While Bill didn't much care for the modern songs too, he made a mental note to introduce Pine Tree to better songs.  
(Though, not yet. It was cute watching Dipper struggle.)

3.  
Another habit that Bill observed was during Dipper's shower. Bill was hovering outside the door, about to leave, because he had no interest in this kid's bath times (No interest, he firmly reminded himself), but he stayed when he started hearing Dipper sing.  
Dipper had a horrible voice, but it was such a stereotype thing that Bill had to stay.  
Things only got better when Bill realized that the song Dipper was singing was a theme song that he had made up for himself.

 _Seriously, could Pine Tree get any cuter- hateful? ___  
Bill thought.  
He shook his head then left.  
He could listen to Dipper singing in the shower another time.

4.  
Another thing that Bill liked was sticking around when Dipper was sleeping, so he could mess with the kid further.  
Actually, his dreams were already pretty messed up, so sometimes he didn't bother.  
Though Bill would usually catch a dream or a glimpse of himself. Most of them made him roll his eyes.  
He wasn't always a triangle. And he did not look like that!  
Bill grumbled under his breath. 

He sent a few nightmares the kid's way.

* * *  
There were also some occasions when Dipper was sleep deprived. He would toss and turn, count sheep, read the Journal, even run around a few times.  
The most amusing thing though was when Dipper ate his shirt. He didn't really eat it like a goat did when he was hungry, but in small nibbles, like a cat or a hamster.

(Bill hated animals. Though he only enjoyed watching Dipper nibble his shirt, because it meant he was struggling. Nothing more.)

And he sent a few nightmares again. (Hey, at least it helped the kid sleep!)

5.  
One of the most amusing things about Dipper though, was his height.  
He hated the fact that Mabel was taller, so Mabel kept rubbing it in his face.

Dipper had cute, no, _weird_  
reactions to this.

Once he searched on the internet for a cure, and made a mess of the kitchen, throwing in mushroom stools, dwarf hair, cheese, milk, leaves from the deepest part of the forest, and a lock of his sister's hair.  
(It only succeeded in making him puke.)  
"Leave the potion making to me, brother!" Mabel had announced when she found Dipper gagging on the floor.  
Dipper had no arguments there.

He didn't give up, though.  
He also tried going out in the forest to stretch.  
And, knowing Dipper's athletic ability, Bill found his exercises hilarious.

Dipper would stretch his legs using logs an inch apart, and act like it was an achievement.  
He would then jump up and after 50 tries, grab hold of a branch.. then get stuck.

Mabel would find him and help him down, after much tugging and pulling.  
Dipper wouldn't talk to her though, probably because of his pride.  
(He waited for a few more days, then did it again.)

 

1.

Bill also learned, through most of the twins' arguments, though pointless, usually had some meaning. Especially when Dipper left first. (Pine Tree usually waited for Shooting Star to leave first. Something like a "last word in".)  
When Dipper left, Bill could hear his thoughts clearly without having to try. After all, the kid was practically shouting them at him.

 _Stupid Mabel/Always has to be right/Why can't she just! ___  
He stormed out of the house and to the forest, then punched a tree.  
(It hurt.)  
"Owww!!" Dipper yelled, clutching his hand.  
Bill shook his head. Dipper Pines was smart, but he had some ways to go in the athletics department.

Dipper started pacing, trying to burn off the excess energy that he had.  
Finally, he sat down on the ground in defeat.  
"Mabel was right." He muttered aloud. "It was my fault. I started the argument."

Bill thought back to the cause of it.  
Ah yes. Mabel had just finished one of her sleepovers, and Dipper was annoyed by the noise that they had made.  
Mabel had argued back that Dipper just didn't have anything to do, and that he was just jealous of her friends.  
Dipper had surprisingly just stormed off, proving to Mabel that she was right, or at least, that he didn't want to admit it.

Bill went back to the present when he noted, amusedly, that Dipper was talking to a squirrel.  
"If only she knew that it wasn't really her sleepovers that I'm annoyed at. Her friends are fine, after all." Dipper said, talking to a brown squirrel.  
"It's just that... I'm jealous of her. Of her ability to socialize with people. Heck, she has more friends in both the real word and probably even in the supernatural one!" Dipper said, throwing his hands up.  
The squirrel just chittered at him.  
Dipper sighed.  
"Well, I really can't blame her. She's the cheerful one. And positive. And imaginative. Of course a lot of people would like her." Dipper said, resting his chin on his hands.

Bill shook his head. He really couldn't handle this kind of sulking from Pine Tree.  
It didn't even feel good, which sucked. Negative emotions usually felt so good.  
"Has talking to squirrels become a habit for you now, Pine Tree?" He asked, appearing.

Dipper looked up, and flushed slightly.  
"Oh, hey Bill." he said.  
Bill blinked his one eye.  
"That's it? No, "Go away," or "I missed you?" He asked.  
Dipper glared at him. "Why would I miss you?"  
Bill shrugged, then said casually, "Your thoughts seem to say otherwise."  
"If I tell you to go away now, would you?" Dipper said, annoyed.  
"Nope." Bill said.  
Dipper groaned, then pulled his cap down lower, as if that would shield his thoughts from Bill.  
(Which didn't, of course, and just made him look like a little kid, hiding himself like that.)  
"So, I'm not going to ask what the matter is, because I already know." Bill said, lowering himself on the log beside Dipper.  
"Then why are you here?" Dipper's slightly muffled voice asked.  
"I want to make a deal." Bill said.

Dipper emerged from the hat, eyes blazing.  
Bill could feel the pain behind it, the anger, the frustration, and _damn ___  
, it felt so good.  
"A deal? What is it now?! Let you in my body again, and you'll "help" me socialize?! Or, better yet, just kill Mabel off, so that I don't have anyone to be mad at? Don't think you can trick me again with your deals, Bill!" Dipper said, angrily.  
"Actually," Bill said, "I'm offering a date."

Dipper stopped.  
He froze.  
"Why?" He asked, voice choked. "I swear, if this is another of your tricks-"  
Bill rolled his eye. "You want to socialize better, I want to ridicule you more, and what better way to do that, except n a date? And if I wanted to go in your body again, I'd find a better way to do it, thanks."  
And to prove his point, he leaned closer, and whispered, "I have eons of time to figure out how to break you, Pine Tree."  
His one eye flickered to Dipper's brown eyes, which were still glaring at him.  
"But", he said, softly, "I have forever for you to help me understand something."

"Understand what?" Dipper demanded.  
But Bill was gone.


	2. Hormones and mindscapes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper Pines was a very rational person. Pretty much nothing could faze him. Even the monsters and supernatural happenings started losing their touch after a while, and were now normal occurrences.  
> Though, there were two people who could cause him to lose his rational side.  
> Wendy, formerly. And now, Bill Cipher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I needed to, and because of McADDBaby's comment, here's the second chapter. =)

Dipper Pines was a very rational person. Pretty much nothing could faze him. Even the monsters and supernatural happenings started losing their touch after a while, and were now normal occurrences.  
Though, there were two people who could cause him to lose his rational side.  
Wendy, formerly. And now, Bill Cipher.

* * *  
After Bill's sudden exit, Dipper had a few choice words in his mind, none of them flattering, but decided not to waste his breath.  
He instead stormed off to the Mystery Shack, and dealt with his situation in a calm and purposeful manner.  
Meaning, ranting aloud.  
"Bill's just going to trick me again, so I shouldn't. I mean, why would he even offer a d-d- _that thing_  
, if he wasn't joking with me? I mean, why would I ever consider a d-d- "thing" with him? He did take over my body, destroy my laptop, and almost took the journal! He just wants me to let down my guard again, then he'll strike!" Dipper said, punching his fist.  
Then, flinching, "Ow, ow, ok, that hurts!"  
He shook his hand a few times, then flopped upside down on the couch.  
"Why am I even thinking about this?" he muttered.

 

"Hey brother! Whatcha looking at?" Mabel asked, flopping down beside him.  
Dipper sighed. "I think the real question is, what am I thinking about?"  
"So, what are you thinking about?" Mabel asked.  
"Well, I was ranting about our argument-which I'm sorry for, by the way-and then Bill just shows up, and he starts talking about a deal! I don't trust him of course, because come on, who would?" Dipper said, crossing his arms.  
"Good choice, brother!" Mabel said, playing with glitters. "So, what did he ask of you this time?"  
"Yeah, that's kind of why I'm upside down right now, talking to you." Dipper said, sighing again.  
"Hmm...did he offer you the password again? Or, did he tell you that he'd help you with Wendy this time? Or, did he just threaten that he'd kill everyone? Personally, I think the last one makes more sense. I mean, come on, the first one already happened, and the second thing has a 1,200,200,000,000.." Mabel said, counting off numbers on her fingers, then her feet, then Dipper's fingers.  
"Look, I don't like Wendy anymore, remember? She rejected me, but we're still friends, so it's all good." Dipper said, shaking off Mabel's hands.  
"Psht, yeah keep telling yourself that brother." Mabel said, giggling.  
"Seriously!" Dipper said, annoyed.

"Look, Dipper, I get that you're still heartbroken over Wendy, but I'll believe that you're over her when pigs can fly." Mabel said, then gasped. "Hey, what if Waddles could fly?"  
"I don't think your pet pig can fly, Mabel. Though, he did build a communicating machine, a laser gun, and a jet pack." Dipper said, musing.  
"The jet pack was the best." Mabel said, grinning.  
"He even solved the What-the-heck-ahedron!" Dipper said, remembering how he had struggled with the 3D puzzle. "Man, I wish Waddles could solve my problem."  
"So, what is your problem bro? I mean, it can't get any weirder than monsters, right?" Mabel asked.  
"Well, I'd actually prefer monster hunting to this." Dipper said.  
"Come on, tell me! I'm here for you bro! I won't judge! I mean, you're probably going through one of your girly mood swings or something." Mabel said, then shivered, remembering their body swap.  
"It's not that this time. I mean, I guess it is, but the cause of it is my problem." Dipper said, trying to explain.  
"So... hormones are your problem?" Mabel asked.  
"No!" Dipper said, yanking his head to face Mabel so fast that he fell off.

He stood up suddenly, then crouched over. "Ow, ow, ok, Head rush."  
Mabel jumped off too, then had the same reaction.  
"Agh, anyway," Dipper said, rubbing his head, "you promise you won't laugh?"  
"Dipper, when have I ever laughed at you?" Mabel asked.  
Dipper just glared at her.  
"Alright, alright, fine! Geez, you can't take a joke?" Mabel asked, grinning.  
Dipper sighed, for what felt like the millionth time that night.  
"Ok, so this is gonna sound crazy." Dipper warned.  
"Crazy than what I've already seen? You're gonna have to do better than that, Dipper." Mabel said, waving her hand like what he was about to say was nothing.  
"Um, this is like a bizarre mind crazy kind of thing." Dipper said.  
"I've already seen bizarre, mind crazy, and crazy." Mabel said, counting off her fingers.  
"This one probably tops it all. Fine. Here it goes." Dipper said, taking a deep breath.  
"BillCipheraskedmeoutonadate,butjusttotrickme,soit'spossiblethatIshouldn'tgo,ormaybeIshouldgo,andlearnsomethingsfromhim,magicstuff,Imean,'causeyouknowyoucan'tknowtoomuch." Dipper said, all in one breath.

Mabel just looked at him, smiling and unblinking.  
"Tell me again, I didn't understand anything." She said.  
Dipper groaned.  
"Bill asked me on a d-"  
"Death rampage??" Mabel asked, shocked.  
"What? no, not a death rampage! A d-d-d- that thing! You know?" Dipper said, trying to gesture with his hands.  
"What's a d-d-d- that thing?" Mabel asked.  
"A date, alright!" Dipper shouted, then slapped his hands over his mouth.

He swore he could feel Bill laughing.  
Or maybe that was his own sub conscious.  
Both of them were out to get him.

Stan appeared, carrying Soos in tow.  
"I was asking Soos to look at something for me, but I heard Dipper shouting like a teenage girl. What's wrong?" Stan asked.  
"Hi!" Soos said, waving.  
"Dipper has a date with a psycho." Mabel said.  
"Ahh, Cipher?" Stan asked.  
"Yes! No! I mean, agh!" Dipper said, throwing his hands up in the air.  
"Hmm, well he destroyed your laptop," Stan said,  
"Took over your body," Soos said,  
"And tried to take the journal, and caused havoc and chaos all around." Mabel concluded.  
"What's left is to date you. Why not make the list complete?" All of them said.

Dipper just stared at them.  
"Seriously?" He asked, eye twitching.  
"Yup! Hey, while you're at it, why don't you see if you can get some money off off that guy, huh?" Stan said, grinning at the prospect of money.  
"Grunkle Stan, I don't think demons have money." Mabel said.  
"Sure they do! They just don't show it!" Stan said, raising his index finger, then tucking the money that showed up over his sleeve.  
"Just try not to let him make other deals with you. I doubt the rest of them will be as mild as this one." Soos said, patting his shoulder.  
"Don't forget to protect your mind!" Mabel sang.  
"And your sanity." Stan said, winking.  
"And your emotions." Soos added. "Those feelings are the worst. They always make you feel confused, until you're all wrapped up in it, never to be free. Wait, am I talking about emotions or something else?" He asked, tapping his chin.

"Guys, guys, there is no way-" Dipper began.  
"No way- what?" Bill asked, appearing beside him.  
"Gah!" Dipper said, doing a karate stance.  
Bill rolled his eye. "Look kid, I love ridiculing you, but I'm not in the mood to defend my every move. Can we just go?"  
"Go where?" Dipper asked, warily.  
"Your mindscape." Bill said, casually.  
"Why?" Dipper demanded.  
"You'll see." Bill said, winking his one eye.

"Shooting star, wait up for your brother's return. I'm sure he'll have a lot of stories to tell you." Bill said.  
"Sweet!" Mabel said, and sat down on the floor, already waiting.  
"Question mark, you can, um, do whatever you want to." Bill said.  
"Really? I always wanted to do whatever!" Soos said, grinning, then running off.  
"And you, um... Stinky old man. Why not go and bribe some people, huh? Make some money." Bill said.  
"What am I, a dog?" Stan growled.  
Bill snapped his fingers, and a dollar appeared.  
"Ah, woof, and that sort of thing." Stan said, greedily taking the money and running off to stash it somewhere.

Bill finally turned to Dipper.  
"Well Pine Tree, it's easier for me to get through to people when they're asleep." Bill said.  
"So, you want me to sleep while you get inside my mind?" Dipper demanded.  
"Pretty much. Now sleep!" Bill demanded.  
Dipper rolled his eyes and was about to say something, when all the worrying he did finally took his toll on him.  
His last coherent thought was, _I hope this doesn't end up too badly._  
And, _I'm gonna land on the floor, aren't I? This is gonna hurt when I wake up._  
Then,  
if _I wake up. ___  
And he fell asleep.

With Dipper taken care of, Bill tipped his hat, and began his journey into Dipper's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it's too short, but I'll try to make the third chapter longer!


	3. Journals and suits and stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yup, that's right kid! Your mindscape is based on this stupid book! Man, how many times have you read this?" Bill asked.  
> "Um, a couple times." Dipper said, remembering tired nights, staying up late, flipping through pages, and re-reading words that he already knew in his heart.  
> "Must be, because basically the mindscape centers around the thing you are, 1) either most obsessed with, or 2) the thing you love. So, possibly the first one, because I had no interest whatsoever in dealing with whatever you love. Yeesh, humans!" Bill said, with a dramatic eye roll.  
> Dipper blushed slightly. "Seeing as you're the one who suggested going to my mindscape, I thought you were already prepared for this sort of stuff."  
> "Hmm, nope." Bill said, casually.  
> Dipper groaned.  
> "Oh come on, Pine Tree! We're gonna have a lot of fun." Bill said, blinking his one eye. "That was a wink, by the way."  
> This was gonna be a long trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to fancygirl, anonymous, and McADDBaby for commenting.  
> Here's the third chapter! =)  
> (Sorry if it took awhile, I kind of got stuck. =/ )
> 
> Btw, Bill's in triangle form here, just so you know. I think it suited this chapter better than if he was in human form. But, don't worry, human Bill coming up soon. XD  
> (Oh, and please look at the end notes for meanings to the references that I've listed here. =) )

Dipper didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't want to. He-  
Damn, he opened his eyes.  
It couldn't be helped.  
He was curious about his mindscape, after all.

When he had gone in his Grunkle Stan's mindscape, it was mostly based on the mystery shack, with "no refunds" flying around, and secret stuff.  
This time, though, he couldn't really see anything out of the ordinary. His surroundings were gray and slightly blurry, like a lost television connection. There were no floating stuff, or flickering monsters.  
And, no certain demon for that matter.

"Hey, Pine Tree! Look down already!"  
He spoke too soon. Or rather, thought too soon.  
Dipper glanced down, and his eyes widened in shock.  
He quickly jumped off, and watched as Bill floated up from... Journal #3.

"Yup, that's right kid! Your mindscape is based on this stupid book! Man, how many times have you read this?" Bill asked.  
"Um, a couple times." Dipper said, remembering tired nights, staying up late, flipping through pages, and re-reading words that he already knew in his heart.  
"Must be, because basically the mindscape centers around the thing you are, 1) either most obsessed with, or 2) the thing you love. So, possibly the first one, because I had no interest whatsoever in dealing with whatever you love. Yeesh, humans!" Bill said, with a dramatic eye roll.  
Dipper blushed slightly. "Seeing as you're the one who suggested going to my mindscape, I thought you were already prepared for this sort of stuff."  
"Hmm, nope." Bill said, casually.  
Dipper groaned.  
"Oh come on, Pine Tree! We're gonna have a lot of fun." Bill said, blinking his one eye. "That was a wink, by the way."  
This was gonna be a long trip.

* * *  
"So, Bill, what are you waiting for?" Dipper asked, as they were standing, (or in Bill's case, floating) in front of the journal.  
"Hush, kid, I'm trying to pick a good memory." Bill said, his body becoming translucent as Dipper's memories began flashing through him.  
Dipper sighed.  
"Hmm, this one should do!" Bill said, snapping his fingers.  
The journal opened, and started flipping pages, until it stopped to a specific one.

Dipper peered over the edge.  
"Why here?" He asked.

The scene was when Mabel made a deal with their Grunkle Stan, that she could be a better boss than him. It backfired, but she won the bet by getting the most money. A dollar over Stan's 0.  
"Look, seeing Shooting Star struggle is cool, but we're here for the suit." Bill said, pointing out the suit that Dipper was currently wearing in the memory.  
He snapped his fingers, and a replica appeared on the present Dipper. His hat still remained.  
"Oh, seriously Bill? Why a suit? My clothes were fine!" Dipper said, annoyed.  
"Pine Tree, this is a date. Alright? And don't humans like dressing up in fancy clothes on dates?" Bill asked.  
Dipper just glared at him.  
"Ok, ok, alright, Pine Tree! You have an issue against wearing nice clothes, I'll remember that!" Bill said, raising his hands.  
"Bill, you still haven't explained your reason for this, you know." Dipper said.  
"This what?" Bill asked.  
Dipper grunted in frustration. "This! This date, in my mindscape, and how everyone else seemed not to mind!"  
"As much as I'd like to take credit for those meatsacks allowing you to go with me, they thought of it on their own. Guess they're just open to stuff. You know Pine Tree, you really should accept things more. Though, I guess your persistency is one of the cute things about you." Bill said, then blinked, surprised.  
Which came across as a wink to Dipper.  
He reddened. "What the heck, Bill?"

Bill could basically pick up Dipper's emotions, a sense he had grown to finely tune, and he could feel anger, flusteredness, nerves, and... shyness?  
"Woah, kid, I'm picking up a lot of mixed emotions from you. Just from me calling you cute? I'm real flattered." Bill said, putting the hand which held his cane on the part where he would have a heart if he was human.  
"Agh, whatever Bill." Dipper said, though his tone was slightly less... annoyed.  
"So, now that we have the suit, I just need to choose where we're going to go." Bill said, and if he had a chin, Dipper was pretty sure he'd tap it.  
Dipper, deciding that Bill would take some time, decided to flip some of the journal's pages.

The journal on the outside was the same, but instead of sketches and descriptions of weird and supernatural entities, there were his memories, laid across the middle of every page, like his very own TV viewing of his life.  
And, there were his own thoughts and comments around every page.  
At the part when he met the multi-bear, there was a quickly scrawled, _Sometimes I should just keep my big mouth shut. Manliness can't be proved by acts of strength, but rather acts of helpfulness. (But, I really wanted to show Mabel and Grunkle Stan that I could do it. Maybe some time.)_

"I hope you guys know that it wasn't just for my pride that I tried to prove myself." Dipper thought, then shook his head. "Of course they do."  
  
Then, there was the one where he and Tyrone were sitting, staring at the stars.  
_I shouldn't have tried so hard to have Wendy to myself. It's made me argue with myself, literally. But, maybe next time will be better._

Dipper lingered here for awhile, remembering his promise to Tyrone.  
"Sorry, man. Guess I couldn't do it after all." He whispered, smiling sadly.

He started, feeling Bill look over his shoulder.  
"Hmm, wait, I got it!" Bill said, and snapped his fingers again.  
The pages of the book started flipping, and when it stopped, Dipper was in one of his memories.  
  
"Oh, man, this?" He groaned. He knew this memory all too well.  
It was when Wendy had rejected him, just after they had defeated the shapeshifter.  
He was over it, but visiting it so soon kind of stung.  
"Dude, you are the worst date place picker ever." Dipper said, his face hidden in his hands.  
"Oh lighten up, Pine Tree! I think you're missing the point here." Bill said, already sitting down on the log.  
"And, your point is?" Dipper asked.  
  
Bill sighed. "Look kid, I just want you to forget those bad stuff, alright? That's it."  
"Why would you care? I thought you loved feeling negative stuff. Demons thrive on that, right?" Dipper asked.  
Bill scoffed. "Yeah, but this sadness is just depressing. Not really thrive-worthy. And certainly not good enough for a demon of my caliber."  
"There are different kinds of sadness?" Dipper's incredulous voice asked.  
"Yeah, there's the heavy kind, the light kind, the gloomy kind, the normal kind, and the overly depressing kind. There are some sadness which demons can manipulate and everything, but there are some which are just too heavy to handle, even for us. That's why we have specific sadness demons." Bill explained.  
Dipper peered between his fingers. "Sadness demons?"  
"Yeah, because if we try to handle sadness which is too big for us, it backfires. I've seen some, and it isn't pretty at all. Just changes us demons to a snivelling mess. Then, we get banished. One minute you're there, and the next you're not." Bill said, snapping his fingers for emphasis.  
Dipper finally took his hands from his face. "Don't you think you're telling me too much?"  
Bill shrugged. "Not really. Every demon knows everything that I just said. It's one of the basic things that we grew up with."  
"So, demons grow?" Dipper asked, curiously.  
"Well of course we do! Time flies pretty fast for us, and we age pretty fast too. But most of us choose the age we want to stop at. Others want to remain younger, others older, it all depends." Bill said.  
"So, you can remain the same age forever? Wouldn't time eventually catch up to you?" Dipper asked.  
"That's classified, Pine Tree." Bill said.  
Dipper sighed. "Well, of course it is."

  
"Come on and sit down already. It's kind of hard talking to someone who's standing up while you're sitting down." Bill said, tapping the space beside him.  
"That doesn't even make sense." Dipper said, rolling his eyes. But he sat down anyway.  
"There, now isn't that nice?" Bill asked, mockingly.  
Dipper was quiet, staring at the the sky slowly darkening.  
"Bill, I don't know what your purpose is-" Dipper started.  
"I told you already,-" Bill said, annoyed, then stopped when Dipper told him to wait.  
"And I won't make other deals with you, I won't be tricked, and I don't trust you." Dipper continued.  
"Thank you for the list of things you absolutely won't do. I've noted them." Bill said, sarcastically.  
"But..." Dipper said, then paused. He turned to face Bill, and he smiled slightly. "Thank you."  
Bill stared, unblinkingly. "Just wanted you to know." Dipper said, then turned back to staring at the sky.  
Bill couldn't speak.  
Dipper was thanking him? What did he even do? Bill shook his head. "Ah, sure."  
Man, humans were weird.  
  
* * *  
The sky was now completely dark, and Dipper lay down on the grass, staring at the stars.  
"I still have no idea why you meatsacks love looking at these tiny luminous spheres of plasma." Bill remarked, lying against the log with his hands behind him.  
"I know what stars are, Bill." Dipper said, not even looking at him. "They're just nice to look at, alright? Makes the universe seem a whole lot bigger, somehow."  
"What, with these puny stars? They're so few!" Bill said.  
Dipper was just going to shush him, when Bill waved his hand, and spatterings of stars suddenly filled the whole night sky.  
Dipper could only gape.  
  
"What? Demons can do that." Bill said, shrugging.  
"It's... amazing." Dipper breathed.  
"You're too easily impressed, Pine Tree." Bill teased, then stopped as he saw Dipper's reaction.  
His mouth was slightly open, and the stars were reflected in his eyes.  
Bill blinked, then shook his head. He was seeing stuff.  
"So, do you see any patterns or stuff?" Bill asked.  
"Constellations. And yeah, I see a few." Dipper said.  
"There's the Bootes, which means "The Bear Driver." It's one of the most ancient stars in the sky, and even the Greeks are unsure about it's history." Dipper said, pointing it out.  
"I'm sure us demons know about that one. Just haven't yet, because it's so insignificant." Bill scoffed.  
"There's always the moon. Of course it's borrowed light, but it's still cool." Dipper remarked.  
"The lunar landing was faked to hide the fact the moon doesn't exist. It's a two-dimensional disk hiding alien space surveillance." Bill said, casually.

"How about that one?" Dipper asked, ignoring him, and selecting a constellation at random.  
Bill chuckled."You sure have a weird way of selecting stars."  
"Why? What is it?" Dipper asked, his tone partly curious.  
"That's  the Puppis constellation. It literally means poop in latin, Pine Tree." Bill said.  
Dipper spluttered. "Ok, I didn't know that."  
"In naval terms, it could refer to the poop deck, ya know. And, basically, it's called "The Stern", so more naval references. Though, it's more fun to say poop." Bill said.   
"You have a sick sense of humor, Bill." Dipper said, scrunching up his nose.  
"Hey, there's the big dipper! Your unofficial constellation asterisk!" Bill said, pointing it out.  
"Asterism, Bill. And, hey, I kind of like it." Dipper defended.  
"Sure, kid. I never said anything bad about it." Bill said, shrugging.   
They spent the rest of the night talking about the stars, with Bill correcting Dipper's latin.   
His understanding of the language was impressive, but it was still a bit hazy. 

  
Then, Dipper's eyes started drooping.  
"After all that fuss earlier, Pine Tree, you're not worried I could kill you in your sleep?" Bill asked. "I thought I was important to your plan, or whatever." Dipper mumbled.  
"Sure ya are, though I could replace you. Or, just take your body already." Bill said, looming.  
"You need my consent for that. Plus, you wouldn't replace me. I think." Dipper said, his mind becoming fuzzy.  
"Your self confidence is inspiring Pine Tree." Bill said, rolling his eye.  
"Mmm." Dipper said, his eyes fully closing.  
Soon, he was fully asleep for the first time in days.  
"I could send you nightmares you know! Keep you up, just so you have extra eye bags!" Bill said, flashing red for a while.  
Then, he returned to his normal color.  
He stared at Dipper's peaceful face, and wondered how he could have that kind of... _vulnerable_  
expression around him, a dream demon. Then he huffed. "Not worth the effort."  
And he stared up at the night sky, hearing Dipper's heart steadily beating, and finding comfort in the sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some quick notes:  
> 1\. I sometimes say "Bill shook his head", and he's technically shaking his whole body. Please work with me. =p  
> 2\. Bill actually said, "The lunar landing was faked to hide the fact the moon doesn't exist. It's a two-dimensional disk hiding alien space surveillance." in Dipper and Meabel's guide to mystery and non-stop fun. (http://gravityfalls.wikia.com/wiki/Dipper%27s_and_Mabel%27s_Guide_to_Mystery_and_Nonstop_Fun!)  
> 3\. I haven't actually read that, so you have to refer to Bill's trivia for that, sorry. =/ (http://gravityfalls.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Cipher)  
> 4\. Yes, Puppis means "the stern", (http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Puppis.html) though it can also mean poop. XD I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. '=-= (Or poop deck; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poop_deck)  
> 5\. To learn more about constellations, here's some links:  
> http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/  
> http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellation_list.html  
> 6\. For the difference between constellations and asterisms, look here: http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/12/23/the-difference-between-asterisms-and-constellations/ (I just learned it today. OxO ) But, basiclaly, asterisms are smaller than constellations.  
> 7\. And, here's Dipper's constellation! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dipper)


	4. Reading minds, and feeling incomplete, and also unconscious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It would have been alright, except for the fact that they were both still feeling crazy.  
> "Sorry." Bill blurted, just as Dipper said, "Thank you."  
> They both looked at each other in surprise.  
> "Um, I meant sorry that I'm so mild today. Just thought you might like a breather before I start all the major stuff." Bill said, shrugging.  
>  _Ok, Bill, that's good, now stop talking._  
>  "It wouldn't be so fun if you broke too soon." Bill said.  
>  _Alright, shut up right now. The kid already knows that._  
>  "I wouldn't like it." Bill said, which would have been alright if he had spoken with sarcasm or mockery, but no.  
> He had to speak with, ugh, _sincerity._  
>  "..."  
>  _I'm done here. Maybe I can just kill him right now?_  
>  Just as Bill was contemplating whether or not he could kill him without upsetting his family, Dipper coughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For you guys and Ciel_Art! =D

Dipper awoke, and there was something uncomfortable about it.  
Something stiff was poking into his back, and it was... sharp.  
"Hey, Pine Tree! Like your new bed? I made it just for you!" Bill's loud voice announced.  
_Oh no. This wasn't what he thought it was. Please, please,_  
"Why am I not surprised?" Dipper asked, groaning.  
It was deer teeth. Lots of them.  
"Relax kid, they weren't particularly sharp this time. You might feel a bit of stinging, though nothing major." Bill said, rolling his eye.  
And it was true. Dipper didn't have any new wounds, and he wasn't bleeding, not even a little.  
The stinging was there though, and man, did it ever sting!  
"Well, I guess that's pretty mild, coming from you." Dipper sighed.  
"You bet it is!" Bill said.  
A pause.

Bill started fidgeting.  
"Wait, do you actually want me to thank you?" Dipper asked, incredulously.  
"Maybe." Bill said, shrugging.  
Dipper burst out laughing.  
Bill stared at him. "Are you finally losing your mind, Pine Tree? 'Cause that's great and all, but it seems a bit too soon, doesn't it?"  
Sadly, Dipper was still lying down, so laughing like that made his body shake.  
Which resulted in him looking like a fish out of water.  
"Kid, you're ruining your suit." Bill said.  
Bill waited impatiently for him to stop.  
Finally, he did.

"Whoo! Ok, sorry Bill, it's just-" Dipper giggled.  
Actually giggled.  
It took a few more minutes but finally, Dipper stood up.  
"It's just that you're being different. The date, the stars, the waiting for a thank you..." Dipper trailed off.  
"What about it?" Bill asked, feeling defensive.  
"I dunno, I was just thinking that it was cute." Dipper said, smiling.  
Bill stared at him.  
Suddenly, Dipper seemed to realize what he had said, because he hurriedly added, "Ah, actually, you know what, I think I might be losing my mind. Don't mind me, I'm just feeling a bit crazy today."  
Bill had a feeling that the sentiment was mutual.  
"Well, seeing as you're usually spouting crazy stuff, I'll let it go this time." Bill said, looking off to the side.  
"Yeah, ok." Dipper said, sighing in relief.

It would have been alright, except for the fact that they were both still feeling crazy.  
"Sorry." Bill blurted, just as Dipper said, "Thank you."  
They both looked at each other in surprise.  
"Um, I meant sorry that I'm so mild today. Just thought you might like a breather before I start all the major stuff." Bill said, shrugging. _Ok, Bill, that's good, now stop talking._  
"It wouldn't be so fun if you broke too soon." Bill said.

 _Alright, shut up right now. The kid already knows that._  
"I wouldn't like it." Bill said, which would have been alright if he had spoken with sarcasm or mockery, but no.  
He had to speak with, ugh, _sincerity._  
"..."  
 _I'm done here. Maybe I can just kill him right now?_  
  
Just as Bill was contemplating whether or not he could kill him without upsetting his family, Dipper coughed.   
"Um, that's pretty thoughtful of you, but I think I can handle whatever major stuff you throw at me. Thanks for the warning, though? Because if not, I would probably have started questioning whether I dreamt this up." Dipper said, awkwardly.  
Bill blinked. Then, his eye curved. Which looked pretty much like a smirk.   
"Wow kid, you mean to say you dream about me? I'm flattered and all, but I just don't know if it'll work out."   
"Dude, first of all, I don't dream about you. Maybe sometimes. But that's besides the point. I mean-" Dipper said, shaking his head.   
"Go on, Pine Tree." Bill said, still smirking.   
"I meant that this was just different, ya know? And, unusual. Sweet, but unusual. And, so I thought maybe I dreamt it." Dipper said, shrugging.   
Bill would have been satisfied with this answer, if it wasn't for the tone that Dipper had used. It was... disappointed?   
"And now?" Bill asked.  
"I'm awake, and it seems that this isn't a dream. Plus, I'm still alive, which is always a bonus." Dipper said, smiling slightly.   
Bill rolled his eye. "Sure, kid."  
"And, here you are, and, woah, everything that just happened just, well, settled in, you know? And it's nice to know that even if you're gonna use this to trick me, or to go in my mind, or use my body, or to take out my eyes and put in baby heads..." Dipper rambled.  
"What is it with you and eye ripping, Pine Tree? There's way more stuff I could do to you that wouldn't be as basic." Bill scoffed.  
"Just let me finish. And, ew man, I don't want to know." Dipper said, shivering.  
Bill just stared at him, and waited for him to continue.  
"It was nice to know that this was real, because, well, it felt like someone cared for me. I know that Mabel does, of course, it's just that she's usually too preoccupied with her friends, or on her new crush, that I kind of feel left behind. And, of course Grunkle Stan does, but- actually, no, him caring for me would be weird. Just forget that. Wendy and Soos are cool, but they have their own jobs, and friends. I'd probably just be a burden to them, or something. And, sure, my parents care, that's why they've brought me and Mabel here to Gravity Falls, I just wish they would call sometime. And, monster hunting, and investigating the supernatural are cool, but sometimes I just want something normal. Which is really selfish, I know." Dipper said, biting his lip, and looking distant.   
Then, he looked back at Bill.   
"Sorry, I probably bored you with that, didn't I?" Dipper asked, smiling slightly.   
Then, he promptly fell down.   
  
Bill was shaking, hand still in the snapping position.   
It was the smile that had done him in.   
It was so sad, and he couldn't bear to see it on Dipper's face.   
And what he was hearing, it had caused him a lot of pain, and surprisingly, he didn't enjoy it.   
It wasn't heavy, it was just right, and it felt bittersweet, a feeling he had always savored before, so why now?   
  
What probably frustrated him the most was the thought that he knew the answer to it.   
And he hated it.   
  
* * *   
Dipper woke up, and found himself lying in the same place.  
Unfortunately, he was face down, and all he could see was darkness. And all he could feel was the grass.   
It was sort of rough, but not too prickly.   
Maybe he could just lie here for awhile...  
"I know you're awake, Pine Tree." Bill said.  
Dipper waved, face still planted firmly on the ground.  
"Good afternoon to you too."  
  
Dipper was quiet for awhile.   
Bill was wondering if Dipper would ask him why he knocked him out, and he had prepared an excuse. Instead, all Dipper said was, "Help me up, will you?"  
"Geez, can't you do that much at least?" Bill asked.  
"Nope. Too tired." Dipper said.  
Bill sighed, then flicked his hand.   
Dipper was flipped, lifted slightly, then dropped to sit down. Hard.   
"Oww! Wow, ok, I'm awake now!" Dipper said, rubbing his sore bottom.   
"You did ask for my help, kid." Bill said, teasingly.   
"Yeah, and I regret it. Ow, just... ow." Dipper said.   
"When you're done nursing your pride, come sit beside me." Bill called.  
Dipper just groaned.   
  
After awhile, Dipper sighed, got up, then sat down beside Bill on the log. |  
"Nice sunset." Dipper commented. "It's alright. Kind of boring, though. Don't know why you humans like it so much." Bill said, shrugging. "I dunno, it's calming, I guess." Dipper said. "You don't seem very calm." Bill said.   
"Well, a certain demon did knock me out." Dipper said, but he was smiling.   
"You're not mad?" Bill asked, incredulously.  
"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I'm actually kind of glad that you made me unconscious, because it was pretty embarrassing to ramble on and on." Dipper said, frowning.  
Then, he smiled. "But, you knocking me out kind of gave me time to rest, and think properly. I think I was just feeling a bit stressed- ok, stop rolling your eyes Bill! Fine, a lot stressed, and a little spoiled, so I took it out on you. Also, I was still feeling distrustful of you, and I still do- ok, seriously, stop the damn eye roll! As I was saying... I still feel that way, but I feel better now. The, well, "nap" I just took really helped clear my mind. And, well, I dunno. Maybe I just wanted to unload? That's what Mabel always tells me to, but to think that I unloaded on you... Anyway, what I want to say is, I'm fine."  
Bill stared at him.   
  
"I can read your mind, you know. So, I basically heard that twice."   
Dipper turned red. "Seriously?? You should have told me! You know what, never mind! Not saying anything more to you!"  
"Chill Pine Tree. It was funny to see you talk on and on and on..." Bill teased.   
"Seriously, I should have known that you were. I could feel a bit of probing before, but I thought that was just a head ache." Dipper groaned.   
"So, you want me to knock you out and pretend you never heard that?" Bill offered.   
Dipper seriously considered it.  
"Well, that would be cool, but I don't think-" Dipper started.   
"Reading your mind." Bill sang.   
"Oh, you know what, just knock me out." Dipper moaned.  
Bill gladly did so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, I don't know... was it ok??? =/ (I need to sleep, so I'll check this in the morning. =) )


	5. Then I'll make you listen (Or the tangibility of Bill Cipher)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper doesn't trust Bill. Bill doesn't listen to Dipper. Dipper talks physics, and Bill offers a deal. (Not necessarily in this order.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The alternate title of this chapter could also be "Entropy." X3
> 
> SO..... after numerous fandom hoppings, to Haikyuu, to Harry Potter, then to Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, then finally back here...  
> I"M BACK!  
> Please don't hate me!
> 
> I honestly apologize for the LONG (Like, 2 months or more long) wait, but as mentioned before, I did a bit of fandom hopping. Plus, school made me really busy and stuff. =/  
> But, did you guys watch the new episode that came out weeks ago??!! Because it's AMAZING. PINELY SO. (Trust Alex Hirch to make Soos say the most important line, "I'm hoping all this aligns exactly with my fanfic, Stan. If not, I will be very disappointed." XDXD)  
> Oh, oh, and Dipper fangirling over the journals!! I mean, he literally fangirled! Or, fanboyed, whatever!  
> SEE? See how adorable he is???  
> (Author rant, I'm so so sorry.)
> 
> Um, I rest my case. =p  
> Anyway, this is my gift for you guys! Please enjoy! =)  
> (Please remember that Bill is in triangle form!)
> 
> WARNING:  
> Huge nerd discussion about physics ahead. (But I love physics, so yeah.)  
> Just a warning for the people who don't like physics.

Bill stared down at the unconscious form of Dipper Pines.  
He unknowingly licked his lips.  
His soul was calling him.  
Then he winced at how cliche that sounded.  
"Really Bill?" He said, out loud. "That was what you came up with? Maybe I've been spending too much time around Pine Tree."  
And he sat there, wondering what to do next.

* * *  
Dipper woke up to find, that surprisingly, he was still alive, for the third time in two days.  
And he woke up to find Bill hovering over him.  
Dipper opened his mouth. And closed it.  
And opened it.  
"Bill, what do you think you're doing?" He asked, in a controlled voice.  
"I'm deciding what to do with you." Bill replied, seemingly unfazed.  
"How about getting out of my face for starters?" Dipper suggested.  
"Oh, but don't you like the view of my one omniscient eye?" Bill asked, smirking.  
Dipper flushed. "No, man. Just no."  
"Mmh.." Bill said, in a care free tone.  
They stayed like that for a while.  
  
"So, do you think Shooting Star's screaming in terror yet?" Bill asked.  
Dipper frowned. "Why'd you say that?"  
"Isn't that what you call people when they're... worried, or something?" Bill asked.  
"Oh, you mean freaking out! Why would she freak out?" Dipper asked, confusedly.  
"Well, not a minute's passed out there, and I've kind of taken advantage of that. What will you say when you get back?" Bill asked.  
"Say?" Dipper asked, distracted.   
"Yeah. You are going to tell them something, right?" Bill said.  
"I'll tell them that you kidnapped me and brought me to my mindscape and messed with my head." Dipper said, immediately.  
"Geez kid, "messed" seems like a pretty mild term for what I'm going to do to you soon." Bill said, his eye flashing.  
"Yeah, yeah, it's too early for death threats. I can't form a proper answer. Don't you like your victims screaming, and not yawning and stuff?" Dipper asked, scrunching up his nose.  
Bill suddenly came nearer than was necessary.   
"I could take your tiredness away, and make you scream." Bill said, his one eye staring at Dipper.  
Under the demon's scrutinizing gaze, Dipper flushed.  
"I'm fine." He said, looking away.  
"You sure? Because I can think of a couple of things I'd like to do with you, Pine Tree. I wouldn't relax so early if I were you." Bill warned.  
Suddenly, Dipper was up, and glaring at Bill. It was all Bill could do to hover a few paces behind.  
"Look Bill, everything we've done was mild, I'll admit, and it might have been fun, but let me get this straight: I. Am. Never. Gonna. Let. My. Guard. Down. Around. You. Got that?" Dipper demanded.  
Bill slowly blinked.   
Then he laughed. "Hahaha, Pine Tree, you're a riot!"  
Dipper flushed. "I mean it." He said, stubbornly.   
"Oh I know, Pine Tree." Bill said, his eye flashing.  
Dipper stood his ground, and forced himself to look back at Bill.  
  
"Bill. Listen to me." He said, his voice dead serious.  
"What if I don't want to?" Bill asked, two parts killing intent, and one part curiosity.  
"Then I'll make you listen." Dipper said, and he means every word.  
Bill thinks for a second. "How about this, then kid? You show me that you can make me listen, or just catch my attention in any way, I really don't care which. If you can do that, then I'll tell you some real interesting stuff, even more interesting than that journal of yours."  
"How much information are we talking about?" Dipper asked, cautiously.  
"Hmm, let's see... enough to fill a whole journal. Even more than that would be greedy, Pine Tree." Bill said, moving his thin arms upward, a gesture which Dipper already knew was a shrug.  
"What about side effects?" Dipper asked.  
"Side effects? Besides, knowing a whole lot more than what you know now?" Bill asked.  
"No, I mean like, if I read the words, will my eyes burn, or will you possess me again somehow, or-?" Dipper started.  
"Sheesh kid, destroy a laptop, ruin a few lives, steal a body, and suddenly you can't live without hearing it come up in normal everyday conversation." Bill said, rolling his eye.   
"First of all, I'm naturally defensive. Second, I have good reason to be. And third, this sort of thing doesn't come up in normal everyday conversation. Oh, and also, you're not alive." Dipper said, listing all the thing that were wrong with what Bill had said on his fingers.  
"And why, prey tell, am I not alive?" Bill asked.  
"Because, mathematically, and scientifically, you're a dream demon, so you're immortal. But you're also a being of pure energy, as you and the journal both say, and energy can be transferred or converted into different forms, but cannot be created or destroyed. Also, it does not exist in any physical or intangible form. There are also the 7 parts of life, as scientists have tried to break down the meaning of life into something more descriptive, which also encompasses all life which we are familiar with. Seeing as life is a process, and not a pure substance, this posed a challenge, but they did it, so-" Dipper began.  
"Ok, ok, Pine Tree, just shut up right now.  I can't take you seriously with your voice squeaking at every middle of a sentence." BIll said, laughing.  
"I was just getting to the good part!" Dipper whined.  
"Geez, you're a huge nerd, you know that kid?" Bill asked, chuckling.  
"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to tell me." Dipper said, flushing.  
"But kid, I'd be lying if I told you you weren't interesting. This makes the deal this much better." Bill said, grinning.  
"Oh yeah. We were talking about the deal." Dipper said, surprised.  
"Yeah, we were, when you just started giving me a physics lecture, even if I already knew that, and a few more important points that you missed." Bill pointed out.   
"Yeah, if someone didn't interrupt me." Dipper muttered.  
"Oh yeah, some of the stuff you were saying's slightly factually incorrect, by the way. Energy, simply put, is everything and anything that exists. Humans have tried to classify this in so many forms, that even after so many ages, they still don't agree. Yes, there's heat, light, and, my personal favorite, entropy." Bill said.  
"Entropy... you mean, like the first three laws of thermodynamics? 'You can't win, you can't tie, and you can't quit,'?" Dipper asked.  
"Yeah, exactly! I mean, it's basically saying that whatever happens, whatever choice you make, it won't end well! I love it!" Bill said, bringing his hands together.  
"But entropy isn't all negative. It's what made the world progress after all. Entropy caused some systems to degrade, but without it, we wouldn't have newer and better systems." Dipper pointed out. "Also, Entropy can be thought of as loss of information, decaying of a system, equalization of energy, and the reason why perpetual motion machines are absolutely impossible."  
Bill hummed in acknowledgement. "There was this human who made a quote about it. Let's see...  
  
  _"Teaching thermal physics_  
is as easy as a song:  
You think you make it simpler  
when you make it slightly wrong."  
  
"Mark Zemansky." Dipper said, awed. "A mid-20th century physics professor who taught at the City College of New York."  
"Yeah. He was an interesting man." Bill said.  
"Dude, his thesis was "The Diffusion of Imprisoned Resonance Radiation In Mercury Vapor". He was awesome!" Dipper said, amazed.  
Bill did his triangular equivalent of scrunching up his nose; scrunching up his whole face. "First of all, you did not just call me dude. Second, his thesis was good, I'll admit."  
"See? I mean, come on, his history and background is actually pretty short, I mean I read about him when I was 9! I swear, he was my hero at that time!" Dipper said, smiling.  
"Once a nerd, always a nerd." Bill muttered.  
"I heard that." Dipper said, frowning slightly.  
"Why'd you think I said it, eh?" Bill said.  
Dipper sighed. "Whatever."  
"Ok, ok, hold up. Rules! Don't say "whatever", don't call me dude, and don't act like you know as much as I do. Alright?" Bill asked, sounding pissed.  
"Wow, for someone who loves making deals and chaos, you like order quite a bit." Dipper said, raising an eyebrow.  
"Also, that! Stop doing that thing with your eyebrow!" Bill said, his eye pulsing.  
"Just because you can't do it-" Dipper began.  
"Nope, Pine Tree, you do NOT use the word "Can't" around me." Bill interrupted.  
"Is that another rule?" Dipper asked.  
"Yes." Bill said, stubbornly.  
"Alright, fine. Sure. Wh-, sure." Dipper said, stopping himself.  
Bill seemed to relax. "Ok. Great."  
  
It was quiet for a while, and Dipper was secretly hoping that Bill had forgotten about their original topic, when said demon grinned.  
"So Pine Tree. Have you decided?" Bill asked.  
"About the deal that you offered without telling me the consequences, the time limit, and other questions that I need answered?" Dipper asked.  
"First of all, you never asked about that. Physics lecture?" Bill reminded.  
"Fine. Well, let me ask now. Time limit?" Dipper asked.  
"A month." Bill said, nonchalantly.  
"A month. You want me to try to catch your attention for a month." Dipper said, incredulously.   
"Yup. Why, too much for you to handle Pine Tree?" The demon taunted.  
"Of course not." Dipper growled.  
"Great! So! Here are the limits! 1. You can't ask for help. 2. You can't talk to me if it's about the deal, except to ask about its mechanics. NO HINTS. 3. I can still terrorize you. 4. You can say or do nothing back. Actually, wait you can. Watching you struggle is fun. 5. -" Bill started.  
"What part of terrorizing me is a limit?!" Dipper demanded.  
"I was getting to that point! Anyway, 5. I can only mess with you on one day at the end of each week, or one day of the weekend. How does that sound?" Bill asked.  
Dipper thought about it. "What about my family:? Are you going to hurt them too? Because if you do, I want no part of this deal."  
"Nah, the best thing is I'm going to mess with you, and only you. Don't you feel so special, Pine Tree?" Bill cooed.  
"No, not really." Dipper said, then sighed.  
"Alright, what are the rewards and consequences?"   
"I was hoping you'd ask that." Bill said, grinning again.  
"Well, if you win, as I said before, I'll be giving you information for free. Ask me anything, and it's yours. Liking it so far?" Bill asked.  
Dipper nodded reluctantly. "What about if I lose?"  
"Then I'll get your soul. You'd be my servant for eternity." Bill said, completely serious.  
Dipper gulped. He could literally see the flames emanating around them. The heat was making him warm, too warm.  
"That seems a bit drastic." Dipper said, trying so hard not to betray how worried he felt.  
"That's the whole point! Nothing's fun if there's no drastic measures and risks involved! Live a little!" The demon said, spreading his arms out wide.  
"That's ironic, you telling me to live by accepting your deal, which could probably end up killing me." Dipper couldn't help but remark.  
"All my deals are straightforward! The irony is lost on demons!" Bill said.  
"Sure Bill." Dipper said, still thinking.  
  
"Oh, and one more thing Pine Tree!" Bill said.  
"What is it?" Dipper asked.  
"If you win, I'll leave your family alone. You won't hear or see or feel any sign of me or my all powerful presence. For the rest of your puny lives." Bill said.  
"No strings attached? No deals or straightforward answers?" Dipper asked.  
"Nope. None at all." Bill said, grinning. "Shooting Star, Question Mark, That old smelly guy, and his old grumbly brother. And you, of course."  
  
After a few minutes of thinking, Bill got impatient.  
"So? What do you say Pine Tree?" he asked, holding his hand out for Dipper to shake.  
Dipper stared at it, and quickly analyzed the situation. No matter what, his family's safety came first. Even before himself.  
So, with determination and a slight iota of dread, he reached out his hand and shook.  
The blue flames circled both of their hands.   
"Good choice, Pine Tree." Bill purred.  
Then their surroundings vanished, colors returned, and Dipper was at the front of the Mystery Shack.  
"Nice doing business with you!" Bill's voice said, echoing all around him.   
Suddenly, Dipper shivered.   
  
Bill was laughing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm sorry for my really lame joke with "prey tell."  
> 2\. I don't know if you notice this, but I usually change the mood from dark to funny, from sadistic to sweet, from angsty to fluffy, and so on. I hope it's not distracting, especially when Dipper did that whole physics talk thing in the middle of Bill's deal making. =p  
> 3\. You can read more about the topic "Is energy alive" and the idea of Life here:  
> https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/103tka/is_energy_alive_does_energy_feed_consume_and/  
> http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/what-is-energy/  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life#Definitions
> 
> 4\. You can know more about Entropy here:  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy  
> http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/what-is-energy/  
> http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/therm/entrop.html
> 
> 5\. You can learn more about Mark Zemansky and his thesis here:  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zemansky  
> http://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.29.513
> 
> 6\. I'm really tired right now, and I'm going to recheck any mistakes I made in the morning. Thanks.


	6. Trust, demonic facts, and moondrops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper nears the deadline of his and Bill's deal, but not before a little talk with Mabel about trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Don't worry, I'll update this story sometime next week." She said.
> 
> THAT WAS BACK IN OCTOBER. FRICK. I AM SO SORRY, SCHOOL WAS PRETTY HECTIC, BUT THERE ARE VERY KIND PEOPLE WHO COMMENTED ON THIS, SO I GOT MOTIVATED. (Thanks to 'me', lilianx, galaxy_burgers, and YaoiIsBae for commenting!)
> 
> Plus, the next episode will be out on November 23, and this had to be out before that happened. 
> 
> So, to anyone who's still reading this, here. (OnO)
> 
> NOTES:  
> 1\. If you notice a shift in the literal writing/typing style, quick note! I have different styles of writing for dialogue and descriptions, I hope that's ok! But if you're confused, please tell me!  
> 2\. This chapter has a slight suggestion of gore, but just because of the topic of demons. I personally feel that it's not enough to merit a change in this fic's rating, but if you guys think otherwise, please comment.  
> 3\. I'm sorry if there's some time skips, but if I wrote the weeks separately, the fic starts to feel way too long for me. I hope you guys don't mind. =/  
> 4\. If you see any corrections, please don't hesitate to tell me, I've edited this thing quite a bit of times, but I might have overlooked something. 
> 
> That's it. =)

Dipper was standing outside the Mystery Shack, nervous, and not knowing why he was nervous.   
Maybe it was an aftereffect of dealing with Bill. Maybe it was just him being all awkward again. Either way, it was difficult to lift his hand and do a simple thing, like knocking.

He had just raised his hand to knock, when Mabel had opened the door and flooded him with questions.  
"Dipper, do we need to exercise you?" She asked, seriously.  
Dipper blinked at her. "Exerc-oh, wait, do you mean, exorcise? Why would you exorcise me, Bill didn't turn me into a demon!"  
"So, he didn't do anything to you?" Mabel asked, nervously.  
It took Dipper a second to guess what she meant, and when he did, he immediately turned red. "Bill didn't do anything to me, I swear!"  
"Looks like you got dressed up pretty good though, Dipper. Is there money in that suit?" Grunkle Stan asked, appearing behind Mabel.  
"It was Bill's idea." He responded, then, "Why would there be money in my suit?"  
"You'd be surprised, kid." was all his Grunkle would say.  
As Dipper checked his pockets, he shook his head.   
"Bummer. Well, how'd your date with Cipher go?" He asked.  
"I'm alive, so I think it went pretty well!" Dipper said, thinking.  
"Psssh, Dip-Dot, you don't say a date went well just because you were alive! Even if it was a date with Bill! You have to tell me all the details!" Mabel said, grinning.  
"Details?" Dipper echoed, weakly.  
"You're in for it, kid. See you at dinner!" Grunkle Stan said, patting Dipper on the back, before he was being dragged up the stairs, taking three at a time with Mabel.  
She rushed them into the room that they both shared, closed and locked the door, and flopped on the bed. "Alright, spill!" she demanded, pointing at him.  
"Please." Dipper corrected automatically.  
Mabel pouted. "Yeah, yeah, please with sprinkles and sparkles and unicorns, now will you please tell me what you did?"  
And Dipper did. He told her about the journal that was his mindscape, the suit, the place where he and Bill had their date, and here Mabel interrupted.  
"The setting would have been bad, but his explanation of the sadness thing was pretty smooth! If I didn't know better, I'd say Bill was trying to cheer you up, in his own, weird demonic way!" She said, cheerfully.  
Dipper flushed. "I'm sure it was nothing like that."  
He continued, but left out the part where he ranted to BIll (no need to tell his sister that he had thought those things, it would just hurt her), and just vaguely said that they had "talked some more", then he mentioned the stars thing. (Mabel was interested to hear about the history of the stars, and even more interested in the fact that Bill had brought them out just for her brother.)  
Then, came the hard part. The deal.  
  
Dipper wondered if it was better if he just told them that he had made a deal with Bill again, but with everyone gathered, so that the reactions would balance each other out. (He was hoping Mabel would understand, and maybe Wendy and Soos could back him up.)  
The deal was pretty mild, after all.  
In fact, it was even quite... petty. Dipper stifled a smile at that.  
The thought of Bill being petty was interesting, and maybe he could use it in the journal...  
  
"Dipper! Hey, Dip-Dot! You still here?" Mabel was saying.  
Dipper started. "Oh yeah. Sorry, I was thinking. What were you saying?"  
"I was asking if you enjoyed yourself." Mabel said, pouting.  
Dipper blinked. "Well, yeah, I guess so. I mean, Bill was pretty nice, listening to me and all. Of course, he could have been tricking me, but at least he wasn't outright about it."  
Mabel rolled her eyes. "Sure Dip-Dot. Anyway, you're holding out on me."  
"What do you mean?" Dipper asked.  
"Details, brother o' mine, details." Mabel said, wiggling her eyebrows.   
"Details?" Dipper asked, confused.  
Mabel rolled her eyes. "You know. Did he make a move on you?" And she proceeded to do a gesture that was probably meant to be obscene, but came off more as her finger doing the worm.  
"Mabel, I have no idea how that even works with a triangle." Dipper said, but flushed slightly, remembering the way Bill had complimented his persistence. Even if he _was_ lying, it felt good to hear those words.   
"You don't need to do those sort of things to make a move. Words work just as well too." Mabel said, as if she knew what he was thinking.  
Dipper opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. What Mabel said made sense, actually. "Huh."  
Seeing the sudden look of comprehension on his face, Mabel grinned. "See? I'm pretty sure Bill's words aren't always meant to hurt."  
"Yeah, because he's the first person I'd go to if I was upset." Dipper said, shaking his head at the idea.  
"Why not? Didn't he help you get over something?" Mabel asked.  
Dipper glanced at her, surprised. "Well, yeah. But it might have been just because he wanted me to trust him."  
"Hmm." Mabel said, staring at him.  
Dipper frowned. "What?" He asked, suddenly feeling defensive.  
"Want to know what I think?" Mabel asked.  
"Not really." Dipper joked.  
Mabel mock punched him (which kind-of-sort-of-really hurt), and smirked. "I think you're overthinking again."  
"I don't overthink, I just like covering all possibilities." Dipper protested.  
Mabel just gave him a pointed look. "Potato, tomato."  
"Mabel, potatoes are vegetables, but they're categorized as starch foods. Tomatoes, meanwhile, are fruits." Dipper said, explaining.  
"...they're both food, anyway, aren't they?" Mabel asked.  
Dipper face-palmed.  
"Anyway, good talk bro, but I'm actually really hungry now, and if I remember correctly, it's your turn to cook tonight!" Mabel said, grinning.  
Dipper tried to think back, and realized that it was, in fact, his turn. "Huh. Ok."  
Mabel cheered, and ushered him out of the room.   
  
As he walked down the stairs, he realized, quite belatedly, that he hadn't mentioned anything about the deal at all.   
  
* * *  
  
The days passed, and Dipper learned some important facts about Bill.  
  
1\. Bill wanted Dipper to catch his attention, but whenever Dipper got distracted, he would get a prickly feeling, and a feeling that a giant eye was watching him.   
  
2\. If Dipper tried to speak to Mabel about his deal, an obstacle always came up. (He suspected that it was Bill.)  
  
3\. If Dipper tried to speak to Wendy, he would get this really bad itching on his arm, and would run upstairs to get a first aid kit, because would you look at that, he had  _poison ivy._  
  
4\. Dipper still had no idea what to do about Bill.

5\. Dipper had no idea what to _think_ about Bill.   
  
Of course it would have been so easy to just give up on the deal, but besides the fact of losing his soul and being Bill's slave for all eternity, he loved a mystery. And while catching the attention of a dream demon was quite heady, it was also just the kind of challenge that Dipper was up to.   
So he had different methods.   
On the first day, he tried a summoning circle, only to have lights flashing, and seeing (when his vision came back) a message written in blood.   
  
NICE TRY, PINE TREE. BUT SUMMONING RITUALS ARE NOT FAIR PLAY.  
  
He wasn't discouraged, just gathered the candles, and put them in the kitchen drawers. Never knew when they would get a blackout.   
  
For the second day, he prepared a couple of deer teeth, remembering how Bill liked them. He set them out just inside the border of the forest, and continued working. When he woke up the next day, he went out to the forest again, and saw, to his mild disappointment, that Bill hadn't taken them. He shrugged, then continued thinking. Later that afternoon, on his adventures, he found a dead deer. He took the 2 and a half days to find the cause, the other half to run away from it, and sneak up to their shared room, feeling immensely thankful that Grunkle Stan was too immersed in his television series, and that Mabel was having a sleepover, so that they both couldn't see him in his state.   
  
He quickly stripped off his shirt and pants, having just enough strength to crawl beneath the covers before falling asleep. When he woke up, he questioned if he had really seen Bill's shadow flicker over his sleeping form, then quickly dismissed it. He just took out a clean shirt and pants (incidentally, the same kind of clothes as the one he wore the day before) and set out, failing to notice the formerly bloodstained clothes folded neatly at the end of his bed.   
  
It was Saturday, at that time, and Dipper quickly realized that he hated weekends.   
  
There were falling souvenirs, and upturned tables, and flipped over food, and salt instead of sugar. There were pants turned inside out, and one time where Dipper had to walk down the stairs in their house, and discover that it was longer than he remembered, and that it never stopped. (He thought he saw a floating teapot, but decided not to think too hard on it.) There were also sinks that spouted a thick oozy substance of an unidentifiable color that Dipper was half fascinated, and half nauseated by. (He didn't wash his hands at all that day, until he could finally recall a simple washing spell.)   
  
And all of these things happened without Bill having to be there in person. Dipper wasn't sure whether to find that creepy, or interesting. Probably both.   
  
The next week had Dipper running low on sleep, what, with Mabel having sleepovers all the time, and Grunkle Stan giving him her part of the chores too, it was a miracle that he could even stay on his feet. He didn't blame her, but it was quite difficult to man the cashier for most of the day, then have to clean the shack up all night. He always found time to read before sleeping though, and he'd usually practice most of his ideas in the early mornings, like making a triangle out of 10 cereal boxes, which just ended in him cleaning it all up again. There was also that time when he went a whole week with eating only triangular shaped food. Sandwiches, junk food, and ice cream cones with no ice cream at all. He wasn't even sure if that was a phase that he was going through, or if he was just frustrated that he hadn't made any progress. Possibly the latter, if the chewed collars of his shirts were any indication.   
  
It was, by now, the fourth week, and Dipper was panicking. He had gone through numerous thickly bound books about demons, and was briefly considering whether he was desperate enough to try a recipe from " _A demon's food cravings._ " (Needless to say, he had quickly found a sudden close connection to fruits and vegetables.) Mabel had noticed this, and teased him about it, but Dipper had stubbornly refused to give in.  
  
Throughout this time span, he also found out a couple of things about demons.  
  
1\. They didn't need food, and killed for the fun of it. Whenever they ate, they did it just to feed their energy, but most hated to stoop down to drinking a lower species' blood, and instead had their own rituals for eating. (Dipper hadn't wanted to find out what they were.)  
  
2\. Not all demons liked making deals.   
  
3\. Not all demons were shapes, Dipper was interested to earn. Others were shaped like inanimate objects, others looked like humans, except they had an extra limb, and three sets of teeth, and there was even a demon who could change color, according to her emotions.   
  
4\. Demons had different specialties, and dream demons were rare. (Dipper wondered what the majority of demons did, but was quite hesitant to find out.)  
  
5\. Demons hated mortals, but most of them, if not all, had a history of somehow interacting with humans. (Dipper wondered if it was a providence thing, or just an unfortunate sadistic demonic thing.)  
  
After reading 2 books, the first having 450 pages, and the second having 250, Dipper decided to make a notebook about demonic behavior. Sort of like the journal. He started writing down the facts that he had just learned, and after successfully writing 56 pages, he decided to stop and read over what he had written. He read over them, and decided to write little side notes, or comments, like, "Bill prefers animal viscera", or "Bill hates cold weather, something about contrasting with his personality?", and "Must look into this."   
  
After writing down all of the comments about the dream demon that Dipper could think of, he shut the notebook, and stretched. He stroked the notebook, smiling proudly at the thought that he had just written something of his own, and how good it felt.   
  
He wondered what Bill would say, if he ever read it. Would he laugh at how unreal it all was, and say something like, "Hah, didn't you know that already Pine Tree? I guess I underestimated YOU HUMANS' INCAPABILITY OF PERCEIVING TINY LITTLE CONCEPTS THAT DOESN'T ALIGN WITH YOUR IDEA OF REALITY."  
  
Wow, ok, he could definitely hear Bill saying that. Dipper shivered, and left the notebook on his table, deciding to go check out an article in the journal about a flower in the woods. It had supposed magical properties, and it was rumored that it could either find the person's greatest desire and make it come true, or shed petals that had the ability to cure injuries.   
  
While it wouldn't exactly help him in his deal with Bill, Dipper couldn't deny that it would make a great case to crack. If anything, as long as the flower wasn't dangerous, it would make a great decoration to the shack. Maybe he could give it to Stan. He'd probably tell the tourists that it was a money attracting flower, and that great amounts of money would come in the future, if they just paid 5 dollars.   
  
Dipper smiled slightly, already hearing the ching! of the cashier, and his Grunkle's rough laugh, before walking out the door.   
  
* * *  
  
Later that evening, Dipper limped in the Shack, various cuts and bruises forming on his body.   
  
It turned out that he didn't know exactly just what the flower was, because it had been surrounded by a bunch of carnivorous plants, and as Dipper had neared it, the ground had come to life beneath him. The earth was shaking, the plants were growing, and he grabbed it, and narrowly missed the snapping jaws (did a flower have jaws?) of one of the plants. He had headed straight home, with the flower clenched so tightly in his palm, that it was a miracle that he hadn't bruised it.   
  
Safely in his room, he opened his right hand, and marveled at the texture of the flower. It had a light blue center, and the shades had gradually darkened, with the outer rim resembling a midnight blue. The stem was as thick as his index finger, and the leaves were curled in this small heart shape. Dipper grabbed a pot of soil that he had prepared earlier, and gently put the flower in it. He brought it to the table in between his and Mabel's beds, and watched as a sliver of moonlight hit it.   
  
The result was that the flower had an ethereal glow to it, the leaves' green became darker, and the petals had a corporeal atmosphere to it. Dipper reached out his hand to touch a petal, then yelped. The flower was burning. He glanced at his hand, massaging it, and as the tingle became nearly unbearable, he rushed to the sink in the bathroom. The water soothed his hand, and as he pulled it away to wipe the residual drops, he realized that his hand was completely healed. While he was watching, the heat that had stayed in his hand earlier moved up his arm, and the cuts and bruises there were wiped away too.   
  
His left hand still looked worse for wear, but his right one was as good as new. Dipper stared at it, before grinning.   
  
_Cool._  
  
All burns were forgotten, as his mind was replaced with thoughts of how he had his own personal healing flower. Of course, he would have to read the article again, to see if there was any limitations, but right now, his arm was healed, he had just survived another near-death experience, and he was tired. He decided to merely wash his left arm with soap and water, just in case the flower's powers were limited.   
  
He headed back outside, making sure that everything was closed, and collapsed on his bed.   
  
On his table. the petals continued to glow, and a small triangle came to rest on Dipper's bed, silently sitting there, resigned to wait until the boy had woken up before leaving.   
  
He silently regarded the boy's left arm, and with one flick of his hand, cleaned all the cuts and bruises. He glanced at the flower, and sneered at it, as if to say,  _You're not so special._ Then, with a snap of his fingers, the flower bent, then straightened up. It swayed, it furled and unfurled it's petals, and it's head shook back and forth.  
  
As Dipper slept, the triangle made the flower dance, casting moonlit shadows on the walls, and giving off a soft eerie melody that sounded suspiciously like a lullaby. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this will probably end in about 2-3 chapters, it depends if I can wrap everything up together. Also, I'm curious, what do you guys think Dipper will do for the last week? (OuO)
> 
> Don't worry, there will definitely be BillDip next chapter! =D (To make up for the lack of BillDip in this one.)
> 
> For the melody of the song, while it's not really a lullaby, and more of an instrumental song, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRUTwvPGO58


	7. Life is short (So Bill should stop avoiding his issues)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper is very knowledgeable about things, except for those concerning him, Bill keeps avoiding his issues, and Mabel knows what's up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, THE NEW EPISODE RUINED ME. ;-; (I know it was happy, but I still got hit by so many feels, I can't even-)
> 
> Also, I changed the format, I hope you don't mind?
> 
> Thanks so much to galaxy_burgers, My_feets, and YaoiIsBae for commenting on the previous chapter! I really appreciate it! =D

It was now Friday, and it was the fourth week of Dipper and Bill's deal.

Dipper had shown Mabel the flower a few days ago, and she had gotten really excited over it, claiming that it would be like having their own personal healer.

Dipper had, of course, told her that this wasn't a pass to just get wounds whenever she wanted, and Mabel had huffed and rolled her eyes, before laughing.

Dipper of course, had asked what was so funny.

And Mabel, stifling a laugh, said, "Well bro-bro, I'm pretty sure you aren't the best person to tell me that."

He had spluttered, but stopped as Mabel shot him a look that was half concern, and half fond, and patted his arm, before claiming that she had stuff to do.  
  
And Dipper had watched her go, while wondering if she was right.  
  
Now, Dipper watched Mabel, who was currently seated behind the cash register, and he wondered if she could give him advice on what to do about a certain evil, possibly masochistic, definitely insane demonic triangle with a penchant for chaos.  
  
She would be a better advice giver than himself, in any way.   
  
All he'd done in his spare time was think pessimistic thoughts, about how everything was going to end up badly, and it would be his fault for trusting the demon, his fault for interacting with him again, his fault for not banishing him in the first place.  
  
He practically wears himself down like this every day, and he's getting tired of it.  
  
He needs a little bit of positive reinforcement, and who better to approach for this than his twin sister?  
  
"Hey. You busy?" Dipper asked, finally approaching her after she had rung up a snow globe for a 7 year old kid.   
  
"Not too busy for my little brother! What's up, Dipping Sauce?" Mabel asked, grinning at him.  
  
Dipper nervously bit down on the bottom of his lip. "It's about Bill."  
  
"Ah, you're getting paranoid again, aren't you?" Mabel asked, knowingly.  
  
Dipper spluttered. "I'm not paranoid!"  
  
"Yes you are, I can see it in the way you look, bro-bro. Your hands are twitching, your eyes are jerking around everywhere, your shirt collar looks badly chewed, all signs of a small and sleep deprived Dipper!" Mabel concluded. She frowned. "You don't have to beat yourself up over this, broseph. So far as I know, Bill hasn't done anything to us yet and you haven't made a deal with him, so there's really nothing that can go wrong right now."  
  
_But I did make a deal._ Dipper thought. Though of course, he still couldn't say this even if he wanted to, due to the conditions of Bill's latest deal.  
  
"I guess so." Dipper said instead.  
  
Mabel smiled. "Admit it bro, I'm right, and you were worrying for nothing again!"  
  
"It's a habit." Dipper argued.  
  
"Make better habits then!" Mabel suggested.  
  
Dipper frowned. "It's not as easy as that."  
  
"Sure it is! You just have to wish really hard, and keep your eyes closed and your fingers crossed, and your nose scrunched up-" Mabel narrated excitedly.  
  
"Are you sure you're not just talking about sneezing?" Dipper asked.  
  
Mabel stopped. "Huh. Um, maybe it works for both things?"  
  
Dipper sighed. "I don't think so Mabel."  
  
"Look, Dipper, I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry. If Bill turns against us, we'll beat him. We did it before, we can do it again!" Mabel said, smiling softly. "Just please, try not to skip sleep over this."  
  
Dipper hesitated, and Mabel opened her eyes wider and pouted. "Please? Pretty please?"  
  
Dipper nodded, and Mabel grinned. "Great! Now shoo bro, I need to work!"  
  
"Tell me if Grunkle Stan needs me to do anything." Dipper said, walking to the front door of the Shack.   
  
Mabel nodded. "Will do!"  
  
"And Mabel?" Dipper said, turning around. "Thanks." He said, smiling.  
  
"Sure!" Mabel said, cheerfully.  
  
* * *  
  
Dipper knew that Bill would visit him again soon, seeing as today was Saturday, and he wanted to be in a safe place where Grunkle Stan wouldn't yell at Bill for smashing glasses, breaking the merchandise, and setting the bobbleheads on fire.   
  
There was only one place he could think of, and he quickly set off for the forest, after making sure that it wasn't his shift.  
  
Sitting down on the log, he quickly browsed through Journal #3, looking at all of the entries in them, and looking at all of the comments that he added.   
  
When he came to the MultiBear though, he remembered his own Mindscape, and that led him to thinking about Bill again.  
  
Bill Cipher. The Journal had an explicit warning to not trust him, but he hadn't done anything bad so far. Even when he visited, the chaos had generally been funnier than usual, especially when Bill had put chili in Stan's coffee.   
  
Sometimes when Bill came over, Mabel was there, and they would chat.   
  
Mabel was always wary, but she had grown warmer to Bill over time, even offering to teach him how to make sweaters.  
  
It was funny seeing a dream demon, who probably caused a lot of civilizations to rise and fall, and who was probably there during the creation of the world, getting his hands tangled in yellow thread.  
  
Sometimes Dipper wondered if this was Bill's plan; to get them all to trust them and then use that trust against them.  
  
He wouldn't put it past him, but he wasn't sure if he could be prepared to do something about it.  
  
Because he was slowly adjusting to Bill, and he knew it.  
  
Bill probably knew it too, and maybe that was why he seemed to be a bit nicer to him recently.  
  
He still teased him, and he still poked and prodded him, but sometimes he'd give Dipper a hint, may it be a riddle, or a joke, but a few days later Dipper would realize that it was what he needed. Bill's little comments would be the ones that helped Dipper find exactly what he was looking for.  
  
He had grown used to listening carefully to Bill's tales, but sometimes it was difficult to separate the things that were true with the lies.  
  
Like, did Bill really create all of  the torture systems in the middle ages, and did he really crown a few kings once in a while?  
  
Bill's stories, if not true, were, at the least, interesting. Dipper was always amazed to be reminded of just how trillions of years old Bill was.  
  
It filled him with awe, and a little fear.  
  
Because after every bloody story, Dipper would find himself wondering,  _who's to say that couldn't have been me who died?_  
  
Dipper didn't know if it was his paranoia that was talking, or if it was raw feeling, like a lesser animal who's become too close to it's predator.  
  
Because wasn't that what Dipper was doing? Getting too close?  
  
In the first place, it's not like it's his idea anyway...  
  
But then again, he's not really fighting against it. is he?  
  
Dipper groans, and shuts the Journal with a deciding snap.  
  
"Ok. That's it. I need to go." He said out loud.  
  
"Go where?" An amused voice asked.  
  
_Annnnd, there goes my day._  
  
Dipper jumped slightly. "Um, around. The forest. To look for stuff."  
  
"Need some advice? I think there are a few phoenixes out around this time of year." Bill says, tapping the space above his bow tie, where his chin would be if he was human.  
  
"How big?" Dipper asked.  
  
"Well the males are usually 30-34 inches, and the females are around 35 to 37 inches." Bill said, spreading his arms wide.  
  
"They're supposedly as big as eagles, right? With the males having a wingspan of 72 to 85 inches, and the females having a wingspan of 79 to 90 inches." Dipper continued, remembering his mythology lessons.  
  
Bill looks pleased. "Yup! And I can take you to see them if you want!"  
  
Dipper hesitated, then nodded, his interest piqued. "Sure."  
  
"Great." Bill purred.  
  
* * *  
  
Dipper was currently running back through the words, heart pounding, mind frantically racing for anything useful that he could use, and all the while, Bill was beside him, laughing maniacally.  
  
"Haha, oh Pine Tree, you should have seen her face when her baby fell into your hat! She looked like she was ready to murder someone!" Bill said, laughing uproariously.   
  
"Yeah, haha, hilarious, Bill, except I'm pretty sure that 'someone' is me!" Dipper yelled, annoyed.  
  
"Ooh, you think?" Bill asked, sounding interested.  
  
"How can you not miss the fact that a phoenix-," and here Dipper waves his hand vaguely behind him, where he's sure he can hear the phoenix screeching, "-wants to kill me?"  
  
"I thought she'd just set you on fire." Bill said, surprised.  
  
"Bill, setting people on fire usually leads to death, last time I checked!" Dipper yelped as a branch fell three inches to his right.  
  
"Oh. Yeah." Bill said, actually stopping.  
  
Dipper skidded to a stop, and stared at him. "What the heck, Bill?!"  
  
Bill payed him no attention, and simply stared at the enraged mother phoenix that was chasing them down.  
  
He issued a few hissing and snapping noises, and made his arms flap, and the phoenix just... stopped.   
  
As Bill's arm waving increased it's pace, and as his eye never stopped staring, and as the clicks and snaps and hisses became louder, the mother phoenix, with one last huff, swept away, her two babies on her back, and the third in her mouth.  
  
Dipper stared at Bill. "What did you just do?"  
  
"I told her to leave, of course." Bill said, simply.  
  
"That was phoenix language? How do you know- wait, don't answer that." Dipper said, looking at Bill with something akin to awe.  
  
"Yellow? (Which Dipper learned was "Hello" from Bill), "All powerful dream demon here?" Bill said, but his yellow bricks were dusted with pink.  
  
"The journal never said anything about phoenix language. Just their description, and that their tears had magical healing properties." Dipper said, thinking.  
  
"Did you know that various cultures have analogues for the phoenix?" Bill asked.  
  
"What kind of analogues?" Dipper asked, interest piqued.  
  
"For the Hindus, their analog is a garuda. It's a large bird-like creature, seen in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It is the Vahana of Lord Vishnu, the Preserver. Garuda, in Hindu, is the name for the constellation Aquila." Bill explained.  
  
"The constellation that represents the bird who carried Zeus' thunderbolts?" Dipper asked.  
  
Bill nodded. "Yup! And hey, did you know that the Aquila lies beside the celestial equator? And that the alpha star, Altair, is a vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism? The constellation is best seen in the summer, mainly because it's located near the Milky Way."  
  
"The Summer Triangle asterism?" Dipper said, confused.  
  
"Yeah, you know, the imaginary triangle drawn on the northern hemisphere's celestial sphere?" Bill asked.  
  
"I think I've seen it around a few times. The defining vertices are at Altair, Deneb, and Vega, the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra, right?" Dipper asked.   
  
"Give the kid a hand!" Bill said, and a human hand appeared, completely separated from the radius and ulna.   
  
To his credit, Dipper didn't even flinch, blinking just once. "Please tell me you didn't separate that from anyone living."  
  
"So corpses are free game?" Bill asked.  
  
"That would be disrespectful." Dipper said, frowning.   
  
"Alright, alright, I just got it from the INFINITE POCKETS OF SPACE IN THE UNIVERSE, happy?" Bill asked, rolling his eye.  
  
"Does space even have pockets? Or are you talking about the pockets of space in between molecules?" Dipper asked.  
  
"Sheesh kid, you'd think we were having a science lecture or something!" Bill said, but there was something almost fond in his voice.   
  
Dipper tried not to dwell on it.   
  
"So! To answer your question! There's this thing called the "pocket universe", a concept in inflationary theory, proposed by Alan Guth. Inflation, basically, is A THEORY OF EXPONENTIAL EXPANSION OF SPACE IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE. The inflationary epoch (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE PERIOD IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE EARLY UNIVERSE WHEN, ACCORDING TO INFLATION THEORY, THE UNIVERSE UNDERWENT AN EXTREMELY RAPID EXPONENTIAL EXPANSION), LASTED FROM 10 −36 SECONDS AFTER THE BIG BANG TO SOMETIME BETWEEN 10−33 AND 10−32 SECONDS. Right now, the universe continues to expand, but at a much slower rate." Bill started, projecting an image of a flat world.  
  
"So this topic lies under physical cosmology, right?" Dipper asked.  
  
Bill nodded. "CORRECT! Now, going back to the pocket universe! It defines a realm like the one that contains the OBSERVABLE UNIVERSE AS ONLY ONE OF MANY INFLATIONARY ZONES. Observable universes consist of galaxies and other matter that can, IN PRINCIPLE, be observed from Earth at the present time because light and other signals from these objects have had time to reach Earth SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE COSMOLOGICAL EXPANSION."  
  
"Which, according to the metric expansion of space, is the increase of the distance between two distant parts of the universe with time. It's also an intrinsic expansion where the scale of space itself changes." Dipper said slowly, remembering something he'd read once.  
  
"Let's assume that the universe is isotropic! That would mean that there is UNIFORMITY IN ALL ORIENTATIONS. PRECISE DEFINITIONS DEPEND ON THE SUBJECT AREA! IN COSMOLOGY, TWO THEORIES MAKE UP THE COSMOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE. ONE, SPACE IS ISOTROPIC, FOLLOWING THE THEORY OF THE BIG BANG. SECOND, SPACE IS HOMOGENEOUS. (Homogeneous also means that the universe has no preferred origin, while isotropic could imply that there is no preferred direction, using distance scales at least.) THESE TWO FORCES ARE EXPECTED TO ACT UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE, AND SHOULD, THEREFORE, PRODUCE NO OBSERVABLE IRREGULARITIES." Bill continued. "AND ACCORDING TO THE METRIC EXPANSION OF SPACE, the distance to the edge of the observable universe is ROUGHLY THE SAME IN EVERY DIRECTION. Following this train of thought, we would reach the conclusion that the observable universe is a spherical volume (a ball) centered on the observer. EVERY LOCATION IN THE UNIVERSE HAS IT'S OWN OBSERVABLE UNIVERSE , WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT OVERLAP WITH THE ONE CENTERED ON EARTH."   
  
"So then, what does this have to do with pocket universes?" Dipper asked, frowning.   
  
"Think about it Pine Tree! What are pockets known for?" Bill asked, twirling his cane around.   
  
"For putting stuff in? So... wait, would that mean that there are numerous observable universes, and they're within other universes? And that these are all, what, inflationary zones?" Dipper asked, thinking.  
  
"That's the main gist of it! I could explain further, but then this would get way too technical, and we've already talked quite a bit." Bill said.  
  
"I can understand it!" Dipper protested.  
  
Bill laughed. "I don't doubt it a bit, kid. But, unfortunately for you, you'll have to do it without my glorious presence."  
  
"Why? Where are you going?" Dipper asked, suspiciously.  
  
"That's for me to know and for you to RACK YOUR PUNY LITTLE MORTAL BRAIN OVER UNTIL YOU FIND A REASONABLE ENOUGH ANSWER TO SATISFY YOUR CURIOSITY. Sound fair?" Bill said.  
  
"Not really." Dipper said.  
  
"Well, life isn't really fair kid, so you'll just have to learn to DEAL WITH IT." Bill said, his voice deepening.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I'll survive a day without you." Dipper said.  
  
"12 hours without me." Bill corrected. "You spent 8 hours asleep, 1 hour with your family, and 3 hours with me."  
  
"Ok, I didn't know my day was being measured so definitely." Dipper said, looking at him warily.  
  
"Most mortals don't! I mean seriously kid, even if they're not counting the seconds of their day, OTHER UNIVERSAL POWERS (and celestial bodies) ARE DOING IT FOR THEM!" Bill exclaims. "The clouds moving across the skies, the sun and moon setting and rising, the ants marching across the ground, the nocturnal animals knowing when it's time to go out and do their thing, the sea becomes a little bit wilder during night because of the sudden appearance of the moon, and all of the stars become visible. Though I've personally always had respect for the stars when the morning comes. Mainly because they're not visible, but you know that they're there, and if you look hard enough, you'll see them."   
  
Dipper, not being a morning person, felt guilt and shame at never even seeing any of the "morning stars" Bill was talking about.   
  
"BUT OF COURSE ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE FUTILE IN THE FACE OF TIME!" Bill exclaimed.  
  
"Most humans don't like to be reminded of how fast time flies by, and how short our life spans are." Dipper said.  
  
"That's called AVOIDING THE TOPIC, a thing you humans are really good at." Bill said, mockingly.  
  
"Says the demon who never answers me whenever I ask you why you keep giving me rashes whenever I'm around Wendy." Dipper retorted.  
  
"I don't need to have a reason! Maybe it's just fun! Maybe it's a warning! MAYBE IT'S YOUR BODY'S REACTION TO RED, SHOWING YOU THAT SHE'S POISON!" Bill said, flashing red for a while.  
  
"I have no idea what you have against Wendy, but she's a really good person." Dipper said, frowning. "I don't appreciate your criticism of my friend."  
  
"Aww, did I hurt your feelings? TOUGH LUCK KID!" BIll said, his eye curving downwards.   
  
"You didn't hurt me, but I would appreciate it if you would take back what you said about Wendy." Dipper said, folding his arms.  
  
"AND IF I DON'T?" Bill asked, enlarging himself so that he towered over Dipper. His one eye looked at him.  
  
"Then I'll stop seeing you. Or I banish you. Or I put up protection signs around the Shack." Dipper said.  
  
Bill laughed. "Oh, kid that's hilarious! Is that what you mortals call 'threats'? BECAUSE THAT IS ADORABLE!"  
  
Dipper flushed angrily. "I'm serious! I can do it!"  
  
"OH, I KNOW IT KID. BUT WHAT I FIND HILARIOUS IS THE FACT THAT YOU THINK I WOULD BE AFFECTED BY WHAT YOU SAID!" Bill said, laughing. "YOU SERIOUSLY CAN'T EXPECT ME TO FEEL THREATENED BY YOU!"  
  
"And why not?!" Dipper demanded, angrily.  
  
"LOOK KID, IT'S LIKE THIS. I'M AN ALL POWERFUL DEMON, YOU'RE A 12 YEAR OLD KID, WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS IS GOING TO GO DOWN, RIGHT?" Bill said, twirling his cane around.  
  
"I beat you before you know, there's really nothing stopping me from banishing you right now!" Dipper shouted.  
  
"OH REALLY?" Bill asked, and suddenly he was small again, and hovering in front of Dipper. "I think there is!"  
  
"And what do you think's stopping me? Because I think I'd like to know!" Dipper said, glaring at him.  
  
Bill flipped the tip of Dipper's cap, and laughed. "IT'S CUTE HOW YOU THINK THAT I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO TELL YOU."

"Then don't tell me! I'll figure it out by myself!" Dipper said, angrily fixing his cap.  
  
Bill floated nearby, seeming to consider something. "GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!"  
  
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Dipper asked, annoyed.  
  
"Yes! I do! And I! Will! BE! LEAVING! NOW!" Bill said, and with a twirl of his cane, he vanished.  
  
"Always aiming for theatrics!" Dipper yelled.  
  
He heard a quick snap, and then his hat was on fire. He frantically beat the flames away with his hands, until a small pile of ashes were left on his hand, and his hat was otherwise unharmed.   
  
Grumbling, he set it back on his head, and started walking off. "Damn demon."  
  
* * *  
Mabel found Dipper lying down on his bed, reading his journal.  
  
"Hey broseph! How was your forest walk? Did you see Bill?" Mabel asked.  
  
Dipper grunted in reply.  
  
"Ooh, that bad?" Mabel said, sympathetically.  
  
Dipper nodded.  
  
Mabel sat down at the edge of his bed. "Want to talk about it?"  
  
Dipper sighed, and set down his journal.   
  
"Bill is an arrogant jerk, an evil Dorito, and I should have banished him when I first saw him." Dipper said, simply.  
  
"Oh-kayyy. Let's start with what happened." Mabel said, slowly.  
  
"What happened is that he showed up, took me to watch phoenixes, set a mother phoenix on me, laughed, then stopped when he found out that I could actually DIE, then we started talking about cosmology and pocket universes, and it was all interesting, but then he starts telling me that he needs to leave, and then we started bantering a bit, but then he starts dissing Wendy, and I kind of got angry with him, and then he started mocking me and my skills and talents, and kept calling me kid, and basically I feel very worthless and inferior right now. ALL THANKS TO HIM." Dipper said, saying all of this in one breath.  
  
Mabel looked at him. "Wow, that was a very... productive day you guys had!"  
  
"Mabel, Bill is impossible! He's annoying, he definitely doesn't take me seriously, and he's probably just hanging around me because I'm entertaining!" Dipper said, throwing his hands up in the air.  
  
"I'm sure Bill-" Mabel started.  
  
"Like, we were just talking about inflation theories, and then to how short mortals lives are, and-" Dipper said.  
  
"Bill might just mean well-" Mabel continued.  
  
"Why does he have to be so cynical all the time? He's like this small doomsday triangle, and I don't know if he's naturally amused by the world, or if he's just seriously insane!" Dipper exclaimed.  
  
"DIPPER!" Mabel said, glaring at him. "Will you listen to me for a minute?!"  
  
"Sorry." Dipper muttered, looking sheepish.  
  
"From what I can see, you guys were having a good time talking about nerd stuff, but then suddenly he starts getting annoyed because you mentioned Wendy, and then this whole argument started after. Am I right?" Mabel asked, and Dipper nodded.  
  
Mabel frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "But why would Bill get angry if all you did was mention Wendy?"  
  
"Beats me. Maybe he has a grudge against Wendy or something." Dipper said, shrugging.  
  
Mabel looked confused, then her eyes widened. She laughed. "I get it!"  
  
"You get it?" Dipper asked in surprise, sitting up suddenly.  
  
"Yes! Oh my gosh bro, you're pretty dense if you don't see what I'm seeing!" Mabel said, grinning.  
  
"Um, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, so can you explain to me what you figured out?" Dipper asked.  
  
"WELL..." Mabel started off, practically preening. Then she stopped. "Actually, wait. I think I should let Bill tell you."  
  
"Bill? He wouldn't tell me anything, even if I asked for it, and I don't want to ask him!" Dipper protested.  
  
"Hmm." Mabel said, thinking. "Maybe he just needs a little incentive."   
  
Dipper looked at her warily. "You have your scheming face on."  
  
"That's because I have an idea." Mabel said, grinning.  
  
"On second thought, maybe I don't need to know that badly-" Dipper began.  
  
"Shush! You are seeing this through little brother! Now just leave it up to the Alpha Twin to take care of this! You'll get your answer from Bill personally!" Mabel said, pointing finger guns at him.  
  
Dipper sighed. "Well, this should be interesting, at the very least."  
  
"Oh trust me, bro-bro, you won't be disappointed." Mabel said, smirking.  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bill, please stop trying to make Dipper pissed, it's very unbecoming of a demon. 
> 
> (Look out Bill, Mabel's figured out what your problem with Dipper is. And she is ecstatic.)
> 
> LINKS THAT I USED FOR RESEARCH:  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_(constellation)  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Triangle
> 
> POCKET UNIVERSE:  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_universe  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_(cosmology)  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflationary_epoch  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_expansion_of_space  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotropy  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_principle  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observable_universe
> 
> I AM STILL NOT OVER THE NEW EPISODE. HOW CAN GRAVITY FALLS BE OVER, TWO SEASONS WENT BY SO FAST!!! (O^O) (OnO) (@-@) ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-;

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? =)


End file.
